Reconciliation
by transmutejun
Summary: Sequel to Discovey and Recovery. Joe has returned, but is he the same man?


She couldn't believe it. Jun smiled in the darkness and reveled in the sensations coursing through her body. She reached out and gently caressed her lover's face, tracing its shape with her fingers. Joe slowly opened one eye and grinned wickedly at her.

"My insatiable Swan…" he murmured. "Can't get enough of me…"

"I'm not going to dispute that tonight." Jun replied. "It's been so long. For a time I thought I'd never see you again. And even when I began to feel that you were still out there somewhere, you were so far away…"

"I'm just thrilled to be here in your arms again." she continued. "When I saw you out there in the desert today, walking across the sand, my heart leapt up into my throat… somehow I knew it was you and yet my mind was still unsure… and then when we saw it _was_ you… I can't describe it Joe. It's like a miracle. And then later when that giant explosion came from underground I thought you had gone and died on me again!"

She playfully pounded his chest. "What a terrible thing to do to me!"

Joe's response was serious. "When I was out there today, I almost didn't show myself. But I looked at you and knew I could no longer prevent myself from being with you. No matter how much it hurt, I had to be with you again."

"I won't hurt you Joe…" Jun responded. "Unless you _want_ me to…" She grinned mischievously.

Joe laughed and flipped her over, placing a long, demanding kiss on her mouth. When it was over his pulse was racing and he was breathless. He felt _alive_ again for the first time in… a long time. Could there still be enough _human_ in him?

"You make all of the hell I've been through worthwhile." he growled.

Jun frowned slightly. "Exactly what _have_ you been through Joe?" she asked. "Your explanation this afternoon was rather… vague."

Joe averted his gaze. "I… I can't talk about it right now Jun." He forced himself to look at her. "I promise I'll tell you later… everything… but for now, for tonight, I just need to be with you… to forget that the last 18 months ever happened." He knew he was begging. He couldn't keep the pleading tone out of his voice. He just prayed she would understand.

But how could she? How could she even imagine the changes that had taken place in him? Would she really want him if she knew he was some kind of half-human _monster_? More importantly, until just now he hadn't known if he would want her in that way either. So many of his physical and mental functions had been disrupted by Dr. Rafael's… modifications… that he hadn't known what to expect. In fact it was fear of that unknown that had kept him away so long.

Jun held him in her arms. "What matters is that you are _here_ Joe. You're _alive_ and you're here with me. I spent so long grieving for you. I thought I was getting over you, but then…"

"Then?" asked Joe curiously.

"It was on the night one year after our first date. I had a dream… I dreamt about you Joe. Oh, I had dreamt about you before, but this was different. I dreamt that you were with me. Sharing my bed. That you had come back to me. I can't describe the feelings and emotions that ran through me. It felt so… real… It was as if you were actually there."

"When I woke up and discovered it was a dream I knew it hadn't happened and yet… it was so _real_. I felt like we had connected. And then I _knew_. I knew you were out there somewhere."

She looked at him questioningly, wondering if he thought she was crazy. Certainly the others had when she had begun insisting that Joe was still alive. The look on Ken's face had cut her to the quick. She had thought that he of all people might understand…

"I felt it too." Joe answered. "That night I dreamt about you as well. I woke up and it felt like you were in my mind… that your thoughts were touching mine. In the end, that's what gave me the strength to go on… to come back to you."

Jun kissed him then, her eyes shining. He reached for her and they made love again, for only the second time in 18 months. It was slow… sweet… gentle… fulfilling…

And yet it wasn't. With their first, furious, coming together Jun had been lost in the knowledge that he was back. That he was home again. But this time she recognized that something was missing. She couldn't define it, but it felt as if Joe were holding something back from her. He felt… harder. Heavier. He didn't melt into her body as she longed for him to do.

She wanted _all_ of him. She wanted him to be with her as he had been in her dream. She had never felt so incredible, so alive… she wanted… no, she _needed_ to recapture that with him. But for the moment it wasn't there.

Joe sensed it too. He knew what was missing. It was part of him, sitting somewhere back in Dr. Rafael's lab. The man had saved his life and yet… Joe felt a deep resentment towards him for what he had lost. He desperately wanted to re-claim what he had had with Jun, but he didn't know if it was even possible now.

88888

Ken wasn't getting much sleep either. He tossed and turned, knowing what Joe and Jun were probably doing. His emotions were in turmoil. His first instinct when he had seen Joe this afternoon had been to slug him, and he had followed through on it. He was so angry… angry that Joe had left, angry that he hadn't come back, angry that Jun had become such a terrifying emotional mess… but most of all he was angry because Joe's return signaled the end of any chance Ken might have had with Jun. Part of him was very glad his friend… his brother… was back. But a bigger part of him raged against the hand fate had dealt him.

Adding to Ken's distress was the secret he had carried for months… the secret of what had _really_ happened the night of Joe and Jun's anniversary. He remembered being with her, making love to her, feeling completely fulfilled until she had uttered those fateful words... "I've missed you so much Joe…"

It had been much easier to let her think it was a dream, but now the burden of guilt was weighing heavily on his soul. He owed it to Joe to tell him. To let him know… but then Joe would tell Jun and _she_ would know. Ken couldn't bear it if she hated him. Her friendship was the one thing he had left.

But suppose Joe asked him outright? Could he lie to him? Ken didn't know.

88888

The next morning Joe awoke to the soft chirp of his new bracelet communicator. Jun stirred, but did not awaken. He quietly went into the hallway to answer the call.

"G-2 here." he responded. He suddenly realized how long it had been since he had said those words.

"Joe," came Ken's voice. "We need to talk. Alone."

"I agree." answered Joe.

"Come out to the airstrip." responded Ken. "We can have some privacy there."

Joe stopped briefly to leave a note for Jun, then slipped out of the Snack J.

When he arrived at the airstrip Ken was outside waiting for him.

"Let's go for a walk." he suggested. Joe followed.

"It's good to see you again Ken." Joe began, "I sometimes wondered if I ever would."

"Why?" asked Ken, "What exactly happened to you Joe?"

Joe got defensive. "Like I said yesterday… Dr. Rafael found me and saved my life. I spent a long time with him… healing."

"But not all of that time. You could have come back to us much sooner."

Joe nodded quietly, his brows furrowed in annoyance.

"So what kept you from returning?" Ken's anger simmered below the surface of his words, but his face did not betray his feelings. How much pain could have been avoided if Joe had returned even a few months ago?

"I didn't… I didn't know if I _could_ return. If I'd be able to return to the KNT. And I didn't know what had happened with Jun…"

He turned and fixed Ken with a cold, penetrating gaze. "What about _you_ Ken?"

Ken had not expected Joe to turn the tables on him. "Me?"

"Yeah. What have _you_ been doing since I… left? Did you… take my advice about…"

The words were unspoken, but Ken knew what Joe was asking. Suddenly he realized why Joe was being so hostile towards him.

Joe was jealous.

His plan to confess to Joe fell apart. Telling him would ease Ken's conscience, but would only hurt Joe. Whatever Joe had been through, it was obvious that it hadn't been pleasant. Telling him now would accomplish nothing.

Ken swallowed hard. "After you left, Jun took it hard. Since the war was over she wasn't required as the Swan much anymore and it was a little while before we realized that she had withdrawn from the world. Jinpei was incredibly worried about her. We all were." He fixed Joe with a hard stare.

Joe nodded stoically. "Go on."

"She spent a couple of months basically hiding from the everyone and everything. And then one day I made up my mind to take your advice and do something about it. I couldn't stand to see her in such pain…"

Something glistened in Joe's eye, but otherwise his face remained impassive.

Ken continued. "It didn't happen overnight, but eventually I convinced her… we all convinced her… to return to living life. For awhile there she was moving on."

"With you." spat Joe bitterly.

"No." said Ken. He could see the surprise on Joe's face, although the Condor had tried to hide it. "Not for lack of trying on my part, but she wasn't interested in anything more than a platonic relationship."

Joe's shoulders visibly relaxed.

"And then one night… the night of your anniversary… she got depressed all over again. It was like she had reverted back to that withdrawn state. But in the morning…"

"What happened in the morning?" Joe asked anxiously. He was hanging on Ken's every word.

"She said that she was convinced that you were alive. That you were out there, somewhere. Ryu practically laughed in her face, and even Jinpei thought she was joking. But she was serious."

"We all thought she was crazy, but the notion that you were alive seemed to help her. She was happy, and vibrant. Ryu, Jinpei and I… we decided not to challenge her belief since she was doing so well. We figured it was helping her, and not hurting her."

"Of course, none of us had any idea that she was right."

Joe ignored the bait. "Are you glad I'm back Ken?" He looked hard at his Commander.

"Yes." said Ken. His face was a mask, but inside his emotions were in turmoil.

Joe slowly raised a single eyebrow, but did not respond.

88888

That same evening Joe and Jun were snuggled together in a booth at the Snack J. Jun had hung up the 'Closed' sign for the night so that she could be alone with her Condor. They had turned on the jukebox and were listening to its soft music and just enjoying each other's company.

As Jun lay in Joe's arms she thought back to their conversation the previous night.

"Joe?" she asked, "Dr. Raphael just kept you? In his home? His lab?"

She felt Joe's body stiffen as she brought up his absence. "Yes."

"And you didn't want to return."

"I did." Joe protested, "If only… to you. But I was healing and wasn't able to leave for a long time."

Jun turned around and gave him a quizzical look. Something wasn't adding up. It was obvious to her that he was holding something back.

"That's not all, is it Joe?" she asked him directly.

Joe couldn't face her. He turned away. "That's all." he said, staring at the wall.

"Joe, you promised. You promised that you'd tell me everything."

Joe's voice was cold. "I did promise. But that's it Jun. That's all. Now stop nagging me!"

He roughly pushed her aside and got up. He couldn't tell her. He couldn't tell her that he was only half a man now. That a big part of him just wasn't real.

Jun stood and walked up behind him. She wound her arms around his waist and laid her head on his shoulder blade. His body softened in response, but there was doubt in her heart.

88888

Jun's feeling of suspicion grew. She knew she wasn't the only one who felt it, but Joe pushed all questions about his absence aside. Everything between the two of them would be fine until his disappearance would come up in conversation. Then Joe would grow cold and distant.

Jun felt them growing apart, and as she struggled to pull them back together she realized that part of the problem was Joe. He wasn't fighting for _them_. He was pulling away from her. Perhaps without even knowing it.

Jun decided to take action. This had to be resolved, one way or the other, before it destroyed them both.

88888

That night she invited Joe to the Snack J. She shooed Jinpei out with some money for the movies and he and Ryu went off with knowing winks in her direction.

She was wearing her red dress. The same dress she had worn the night of her first date with Joe.

When he arrived his eyes lit up, and she could see that the dress had done its work. It had reminded him of that wonderful evening they had spent together, discovering what lay between them.

She extended her hand out to him. "Shall we dance?" she asked huskily.

He accepted her invitation and held her close. Slow, sexy strains sounded from the jukebox. She relaxed in his arms and he felt his tensions easing away.

He bent his head down and kissed her slowly. Perhaps tonight… tonight could be the night they recaptured the way it used to be between them.

Jun's body was on fire. She thrilled at his touch and pressed herself against him, eager to be as close to him as possible. And yet… that barrier was still there. His body was hard and unyielding. He was kissing her, and yet his mind felt closed to her.

Jun pulled back from him, tears in her eyes.

"You need to tell me Joe." she said softly.

His eyes took on a haunted look. "Tell you what?" he asked evasively.

"Everything." She pressed on, "Everything that happened when you were with Dr. Rafael."

She looked pointedly into his eyes. He felt that she was looking into his very soul. "I _know_ that there's more that you're not telling me Joe."

And then he knew. He had been avoiding the truth for weeks but it had just slapped him in the face.

He couldn't continue to be with Jun.

She deserved more. She deserved someone who could be with her fully, who wasn't being pulled apart by foreign matter in his flesh. She needed his whole self, yet he only had half a self left to give to her.

She would be better off with someone else.

An image of Ken's face rose in his mind and he angrily pushed it aside. But deep down he knew it was what was best for Jun.

Joe sat down heavily, his head in his hands.

"I can't… I can't tell you Jun."

"If you can't trust me Joe, then what do we have?" She held her breath. If he didn't tell her now…

Joe lifted his hands helplessly. Then he stood up and walked out the door, not looking back.

Jun couldn't let it end like this. She ran outside after him. It was raining lightly but she was able to make out the form of him unlocking the door to his car in the mist. She grabbed his arm before he could open it, forcibly spinning him around to face her.

"Damnit Joe!" she shouted. "You just can't leave me like this!"

"Face it Jun!" he yelled, "I can't tell you what happened to me. _I_ can barely face up to what happened to me. I'm not the same man I was before!"

The heavens opened up, and the rain began to fall down in sheets. Even inches away from him, Jun had a hard time seeing Joe's face. But she could feel the tension in his arm as she held it.

"That doesn't matter to me!" she cried, "Whatever happened… whatever you are… I can deal with it. _We_ will deal with it. Together…" She was pleading with him. Begging him to give them one more chance.

"No Jun." said Joe coldly. "You're better off without me."

He wrenched his arm from her grasp and got into his car, tires squealing as he drove away.

Jun fell to her knees on the sidewalk, mud and rain splashing up on her from the road.

What the hell had just happened? How had she lost him?

88888

She didn't know how she had gotten there, but she must have made it to her motorcycle and driven off. Because here she was, soaked to the skin, covered with mud, standing outside Ken's airstrip.

She barely mustered the strength to knock on the door, but Ken opened it immediately. He didn't ask questions, but bundled her into his bathroom, telling her to take a long, hot shower. Grateful for his concern, Jun did what he asked.

As the steam rolled out of his bathroom Ken was stunned. What had happened to leave Jun in such a state? And where the hell was Joe?

The water stopped, and a minute later Jun's wet head peeked out from behind the door.

"I'll… I'll need something to wear." she said quietly. "This is ruined."

Slowly she held up what remained of the red dress. It was a ball of muddy, red streaks.

Ken knew that dress. She had bought it for him… yet she had worn it for Joe.

"Wait there." he mumbled. "I'll get something."

A moment later he returned with a t-shirt and a striped pair of pants. Jun recognized them.

"My old uniform!" she exclaimed. "But how..."

He spoke to the floor. "That day, after Joe… that day when I convinced you to get out of bed, and come back to us… I didn't want you wearing this and being reminded of him again. So I took it out of your room. Somehow… I never ended up giving it back. I guess I wanted the reminder of you."

Jun gratefully took the clothes from his outstretched hand and got dressed. When she came out of the bathroom Ken could see the edge of the ruined dress hanging over the side of his wastebasket.

Jun sat next to him on the couch.

"Thank you for being here for me." she said. "I feel like I should be saying that a lot. You've always been there for me Ken. Even in the darkest hours of my life. You were always there to show me to way."

She looked at her hands. "And I've been ungrateful. I've closed myself off to you. I never let you in, never gave you a chance… even when I thought he was dead. Instead I…"

"I saved myself… for that selfish pig." she spat.

Ken was shocked. He held her hands in his own.

"What happened?" he asked simply. And she told him.

All of it.

Ken was amazed. He knew that Joe's reluctance to talk was bothering Jun but he had had no idea that it was this out of control.

It suddenly dawned on him what had been wrong all along. He had always held back from Jun. He had not shown her his true feelings, even when she asked him directly. Instead he had buried things deep in his heart, where they had been allowed to fester. If he had been honest with her from the start he would never have lost her.

And now things had changed. Now it was Joe holding secrets inside of himself. And it had driven her away.

He knew that he had to come clean with Jun. To tell her everything. And so he did.

"I have some of my own confessions to make Jun. You may not be happy about it. You may even hate me for what I'm going to say. But I hope you'll just hear me out." he began.

Jun nodded gravely. "Anything for you Ken."

"I remember the first day I saw you. Hakase brought you home with Jinpei, and I wondered what he had been thinking bringing home a girl. But I quickly began to see why he had adopted you. You were smart, you were quick, and you had a real motivation to learn the martial arts techniques he taught us. Even when you couldn't get them right away you had a determination to keep trying until you did. I think that's when I first began to admire you."

"I'm not entirely sure when those feelings changed, but one day I realized that no other girl could compete with you. The girls at school were fluffy and weak in comparison. I tried quite a few times to approach you in that way but always lost my nerve."

"When Dr. Nambu founded the Science Ninja Team and made me G-1 he and I talked. He suspected my feelings for you, but told me that I couldn't act on them. As G-1 I had to remain strong, and alone. To show caring, to show love, to the enemy was to show weakness. I had to put those thoughts aside if I was truly ready to be Commander."

Jun was fascinated. She had always wondered what had held Ken back from talking to her about this. She was finally beginning to understand what Ken was all about.

"Interestingly enough, a year or two later my father said something similar to me. It was when we thought you had been killed with the Jigokillers. He told me that I couldn't cry if I lost one of my subordinates and that my feelings were making me weak."

Jun finally understood why she had never really liked Red Impulse. Her nails dug into the palm of her hand.

Ken continued. "I was able to hide my emotions, but they were still there. And I acted on them more than I realized. I tried never to put you in danger again, although at the time I didn't know that my decisions were being compromised by my feelings for you."

"When we were off duty I avoided you as much as possible. I knew that if I spent too much time with you I'd end up doing something crazy…. like kissing you…" He gave a rueful smile.

"Would that have been so terrible?" Jun asked quietly.

"It would have meant acknowledging to myself that I wasn't fit to be Commander." Ken replied. "That I was putting my personal feelings above and beyond the needs of the team. But I always harbored the hope that once Galactor had been defeated, I would be free to tell you how I felt."

"But by then…" Jun murmured.

"You're getting ahead of me." Ken gently chided her. "Please let me finish." He winked at her.

She smiled back. "Please continue." she said with a grand gesture.

"Then came the day when I saw Joe kissing you at our training session. I couldn't believe how jealous I got when I saw him touching you that way. I couldn't get it out of my mind. And I did something I shouldn't have. I spied on you."

Jun frowned. "How do you mean Ken?"

"I hacked into the ISO's security system and watched you and Joe in the rec room. That's how… uh…. I was able to make such a timely entrance."

"I had always wondered about that." Jun mused.

"I heard everything you said… including…" Ken's voice grew quiet, "about how you had been raped at the orphanage."

Jun's eyes grew wide as she whispered, "You didn't already know?"

"No. Hakase was very discreet." Ken replied. He hung his head in shame. "I'm just embarrassed to have eavesdropped and heard something so personal. Something that you weren't ready to tell me about yourself."

"I thought you had always known." Jun said simply. "It's painful to discuss, even now. It's probably not something I would ever have brought up with you. And I'd always felt that perhaps it was that part of my background that kept you distant from me."

"No Jun. No!" Ken said vehemently. "I had no idea. And even if I had, it wouldn't have made a difference in my feelings for you. It certainly didn't after I had heard it."

"But I still held onto the ideal of an emotionless Commander. I couldn't tell you how I felt, even though by then it was obvious that if I didn't you would end up with Joe. I agonized about it but couldn't bring myself to destroy the image that Hakase and my father had wanted me to project."

Ken went on. "But it was clear that Joe made you happy, and so I buried my feelings again. I had even come to accept that I would never have you when... when we thought Joe died."

"And his last words told us to be happy together…" whispered Jun. "He knew… he knew that you really felt that way about me."

"He knew." Ken confirmed. "He still knows. He was always so angry with me for ignoring you. Joe is incredibly passionate about things he believes in and he couldn't understand why I wouldn't ever say anything to you."

"I know now that my motivations were misguided and that I made a lot of mistakes. But I had hoped that once you had gotten over Joe's death that I could have a fresh chance with you."

"And I never gave you that chance…" Jun hung her head in shame.

Ken squeezed her hands. "It took you a long time to get over Joe's 'death'. I hadn't realized the depth of your feelings for him until then. In fact I tried to stay away from you while you were still grieving, but Jinpei was so worried about you… so I did my best to bring you out of it. But I pushed you too hard too fast."

"It wasn't entirely your fault." Jun replied. "I was ready to live again, but I wasn't ready to give up on Joe. That was my stubbornness taking over."

"Your loyalty is one of the things I love about you." said Ken.

"That's a nice way to explain it." She smiled.

"Then," Ken continued, "came the night of your anniversary with Joe. You had made plans with me, but when I arrived you were lost in your memories of Joe. I was crushed. I was about to leave when I realized that you had fallen asleep. You looked so beautiful there… and I was so frustrated with our relationship… or lack thereof… that I couldn't help myself."

"I kissed you Jun." he confessed.

Jun looked confused. "Do you think I'd be angry about something like that?" she asked.

"That was all I had planned to do." said Ken in a small voice, "But you stirred… and you asked me to make love to you."

He looked beseechingly into her eyes. She saw what he was trying to say.

"It was you… that night…" she trembled.

Ken nodded, cheeks burning with shame.

It all came back to Jun in a rush. The incredible love-making in her bed. The way she had soared, had felt complete. She had found passion with Joe like never before.

But it hadn't been Joe. It had been Ken.

Ken interrupted her thoughts. "I had thought you knew what you were asking, but afterwards I realized that you had believed that I was Joe. That you had thought that it was a dream…"

"I couldn't bring myself to take that away from you. Especially after you were convinced that Joe was still alive. I didn't want to crush your newfound happiness. But most of all," Ken confessed, "I didn't want you to hate me."

Did she hate Ken? She didn't think so. He feelings whirled around in her mind. Her thoughts were a blur.

"Afterwards, when Joe returned, he asked me about you. And I lied to him. I never told him what really happened." Ken finished his confession with a bowed head.

"I… I need some time to process this…" Jun muttered. Ken nodded.

"I understand."

They sat next to each other on the couch, not touching or speaking as the dark of night gave way to the cold light of dawn. As she saw the sunrise, Jun had a revelation. She knew what had been missing from her nights with Joe since his return.

Ken.

88888

When the sun was up Ken spoke. "I guess I should take you home. It's still raining, so I could drive you." he offered.

Jun nodded. Leaving her motorcycle at the airfield she got into Ken's car for the ride back to the Snack J. Just as Ken pulled up, his bracelet came to life.

"G-1!" came Dr. Nambu's voice, "Assemble your team! Launch the God Phoenix immediately!"

"This is G-1. Understood." Ken responded. He looked at Jun.

"Go change into your new uniform. I'll wait for you." he said. Jun rushed to follow his orders. Ken began to contact the others on his communicator.

Racing back outside she saw Jinpei close behind her. Ken motioned them both into his car. Fortunately Jinpei was so surprised by the early morning call that it didn't occur to him to wonder why Ken was there in the first place.

88888

Once aboard the new God Phoenix Dr. Nambu explained that Gel Sadra had developed a mecca based on one of Berg Katse's old designs. It was hidden in a Galactor base underneath the ocean. Apparently she was planning to attack the Ogon Penninsula.

Ryu flew to the underwater co-ordinates that the ISO had transmitted.

The KNT quickly realized that they were no match for the mecca's freeze ray. Ryu lost control of the ship and they plunged into an iceberg. The new God Phoenix was trapped and they couldn't get out.

"We need to use Science Ninja Technique Firebird!" Ken stated. But when Ryu tried, they discovered that one of the electrical connections in the G-2 storage area had been broken.

Joe had been silent up until now. He had acted professionally, not giving any indication that anything was amiss between him and Jun.

"Leave it to me." Joe stated. He ran off to the G-2 docking bay.

A short while later Ryu's communicator chirped. "Go for it Ryu!" came Joe's voice.

Whatever Joe had done, it was enough. The firebird technique was successful. They were able to escape the iceberg and destroy the mecca with new Bird Missiles.

On the way back to G-Town Joe re-entered the cockpit. His gloves and hands were torn to shreds, but he refused to comment on what had happened. He merely took his seat and sat in a cold silence, ignoring the puzzled looks around him.

Jun's mood was grim. It was things like this that had caused that terrible fight between them last night. She needed to know more. Quietly she slipped out and went to the G-2 docking bay. There she found the broken electrical connection. The two ends of the wires were lying on the ground. It hadn't been fixed at all.

Analyzing the situation, she realized that the two ends were less than an arm's length apart.

Joe had a lot of explaining to do. But she knew now that no explanation would be forthcoming.

88888

Despite her anger regarding Joe's silence, Jun still cared for him. Her feelings weren't just something she could turn off like a light switch. While she pondered the meaning of her night with Ken, she also longed for Joe to come to her and reveal what he had been hiding. But he did not.

Then one day a few weeks later she was guarding Joe on a mission. He had been chosen to drive important documents to ISO headquarters but had gotten a blinding headache and had lost control of his car while trying to avoid a large group of green-suited goons.

Jun was incredibly concerned. She had thought that the days of those terrible headaches were behind him. Whatever his secrets, Joe had seemed healthy since his return. Dodging Galactor assassins, she jumped off of the G-3 and into Joe's car, trying to help him drive. But it was too late. The car plunged off of a cliff and flipped over. Jun dragged Joe into a nearby cave and tried to contact the other KNT for help. Waiting for Joe to regain consciousness she found a tracking device in his messenger bag. No wonder Galactor had known exactly where he was!

Joe groaned. What had happened to him? He had thought that his brain modifications would prevent any more sudden headaches. Then he saw Jun fiddling with the tracking device and knew that it must have interfered with his cybernetic brain.

Jun. She had tried to help him, leaping into the car without thinking, facing death with him as it fell from the cliff. If she hadn't taken him here… wherever this was… he might be dead even now. Although she hadn't talked to him in weeks he knew she still cared for him a great deal. The knowledge comforted him, even though he knew he could no longer return her feelings.

He had tried to forget her. He distanced himself and barely spoke to her now. Knowing he was now the most expendable member of the KNT he dived headfirst into the most dangerous missions, taking the most risks. So far he had managed to escape unscathed every time. But he knew it couldn't last. Dr. Rafael had _plans_ for him… plans that would no doubt result in his death. He didn't have much time left and didn't want Jun to grieve him again when he was really gone this time.

Then two weeks ago he had run into Kathy… he had never thought he would see her again. She was a woman he should love: another Rafael-created cyborg like himself. If anyone could understand what he was going through, it was she. But she had grabbed the magma solidification device from him and thrown herself into the lava to stop Galactor's volcanic eruption… and now she was gone too. He had thought he could love her, but deep in his soul he knew that the only true love he would ever know would be with Jun.

Was Kathy's demise what it would be like for him too? Would he plunge himself into harm's way on a moment's notice to fulfill his true destiny?

Whatever that destiny was, it didn't include Jun. He was certain of that.

Jun noticed that Joe was awake.

"Thank God, Joe! I was getting worried about you."

"I'm too tough to kill…" Joe groaned.

"An attitude like that is what will get you killed!" responded Jun hotly. "We need to focus! I've been injured too. If Galactor finds us now we'll be in trouble. I'm trying to contact the others but I'm not sure my signal is getting through."

"Don't worry about me." Joe mumbled. "I'm not your problem any more."

His words hit their mark. Jun's eyes filled with tears. She angrily brushed them away and tried to change the subject.

"Joe… while you were unconscious… you were mumbling. Something about Dr. Rafael?"

"Look Jun, just stay out of my business!" he snapped. "I don't need you prying into my affairs!"

As usual, he didn't want to talk to her about what was going on in his mind. Jun let out a painful sigh. She should be used to it by now, but her heart still cried out at his indifference.

Suddenly she heard a noise. Turning around she saw a large Galactor tank-like mecca, accompanied by at least a hundred soldiers, forcing its way into the cavern.

Jun panicked only briefly. She couldn't stand on her wounded leg. Joe was not in Birdstyle. He had no protection from their weapons and was still too groggy to fight. As the soldiers trained their guns on him she did the only thing she could do.

She covered his body with her own.

She cried out as the weapons fire hit her. Collapsing on the ground her last conscious thought was of Joe.

Joe couldn't believe what had just happened. Jun had just sacrificed herself to save him. Even worse, it hadn't really been necessary. His new body probably would have withstood the close range fire. But Jun's could not. He was ashamed at the depth of her love for him, and the length she had gone to in order to protect him. He didn't deserve such caring.

Seeing Jun's inert body slumped on the ground filled him with a sudden, cold rage.

Dodging Galactor's fire he quickly ducked in an alcove and changed into Birdstyle. He would destroy Galactor, even if it meant tearing them apart with his bare hands.

88888

Ken saw the smoke and heard the shouts of Galactor goons from inside the cavern. He ran towards the explosions, Ryu and Jinpei close behind. He only hoped that he wasn't too late, and that Joe and Jun were all right.

His knees nearly gave way when he saw Joe carrying Jun out of the haze. She was obviously wounded, and Joe carried her tenderly up the slope to the remaining KNT.

Gently he deposited her into Ken's arms. His eyes sent a clear message.

She was Ken's responsibility now.

88888

Ken took that new responsibility seriously. He watched over Jun, both on and off duty. While she didn't exactly fall into his arms (or his bed) he felt that she was coming to terms with the night they had spent together almost a year ago.

The Condor had his own sense of honor, and apparently it precluded him from interfering. They saw him as little as possible and on missions he was always professionally distant.

And then... then came that fateful day when Dr. Pandora had shot Hakase. She had successfully stopped his brainwaves, temporarily thwarting Gel Sadra's attack on Dr. Nambu, but it had been Joe who had saved the day by defeating her psionic fiend.

It was then that Dr. Pandora had told them the truth. Joe alone had been able to accomplish because of his cybernetically enhanced mind. The KNT let out a collective gasp. A cyborg???

Looking at Joe's face, Jun knew it was true. This was what he had been keeping from her. As he walked out of the room, Jun ran after him. She didn't notice Ken following behind.

Outside the building she breathlessly caught up to Joe.

"Wait!" she pleaded as she grabbed his shoulder.

Joe slowly turned to look at her, his eyes like granite. "What more do you want from me Jun?" he asked, "You know now. Just please let me go."

"Joe… is _this_ what you've been hiding from me? From all of us? Is _this_ your deep dark secret? Or is there more?"

Joe slowly shook his head. "No more." he replied with a grimace. "That damned Pandora just laid me bare for all of you to gape at."

"But Joe…" Jun said, her eyes shining, "I don't care. It doesn't matter to me if part of you is a machine. What matters to me is that we can be together. After all… you're still human here…" and she touched his chest, where his heart should be.

A laugh erupted from inside of Joe. But there was no joy, no life in it. It was a cold, bitter laugh that cursed the day Dr. Rafael had ever found him.

"I hate to break it to you sweetheart," he said in a grim voice, "but there are cyborg components there too. I'm not a man anymore… I'm a machine. Any feelings I have are just remnants of my past life…"

"A life where I did love you…" he whispered softly, "but not now… I can't love you now." He reached out to touch her face and stopped, his fingers a bare inch from her skin. He held them there for a long moment.

Dropping his hand, he turned and walked away again. This time Jun let him go. She knew it was finally over.

Completely, irrevocably over.

Just as her sorrow overtook her she felt strong arms encircle her waist from behind. She turned around and came face to face with Ken.

This was the man who had always been there for her. This was the man who had stood by her, allowed her time to sort out her feelings. Whose patience and tenderness had always gone unrewarded. Yet he was still there for her now.

They embraced, and Jun felt her soul lighten.

88888

From a distance, Joe watched them connect. He knew he had done the right thing. His life was intended for destruction, and his time was coming to an end. He had no right to claim Jun, no matter how much she protested. She needed Ken to make her happy.

Only, things didn't turn out the way that Joe had thought they would. He hadn't died with Sosai X; it had been Gel Sadra who had taken the brunt of the blast. Afterwards he had suffered severe exhaustion as Dr. Nambu searched for a way to re-charge his cybernetic body and return him to a semblance of normalcy.

During it all Jun had been there, but it was not as it had been. She had found peace with Ken, and Joe knew that Jun spent most of her nights at Ken's house at the airstrip. She was concerned for Joe, she cared for Joe, but her passion for him was gone.

He had watched Ken and Jun grow closer, as he had always thought they were meant to. Why had he ever been with her? Was it some kind of karmic punishment of Ken's for treating Jun so callously all those years ago? Or was it fate granting him something precious to help him through those dark days with Dr. Rafael? Joe didn't know.

All he knew was that his love for Jun burned as brightly as ever. He had come to understand that it always would.

And then one day he realized that he wasn't going to die. That he was going to live a life as full and long as any other man. And he had no one to share it with.

He knew then that he had to try and get her back… even if that meant hurting Ken. She was the only thing that made his life whole. He had to fight for the only woman who had ever touched his soul.

He had made a terrible mistake, and he resolved to put it right.

**_Epilogue_**

Joe stood on the grass in the darkness, his mind preparing for what was to come. He glanced at his teammates from the corner of his eye. Ryu shifted impatiently from one foot to the other while Jinpei squirmed with nervousness and tugged at his collar. Ken stared stoically into the distance.

Joe's skin itched. The tux he wore was uncomfortable, but on this day it didn't matter. What mattered was what was about to happen.

His mind drifted back to that day… was it only a month ago? The day that Sosai Zed had been destroyed. It had been a close call for all of them. He and Ken had barely made it through, and they had all returned home in silence, contemplating their own mortality.

As they approached what was left of the Gatchaman Base, the spur-of the moment proposal had burst forth. Right there, on the bridge of the Gatchaspartan, on bended knee… from the heart… and Jun had been overwhelmed. She had readily accepted, and the somber mood had been lifted.

And now the day had arrived. Jinpei kept constantly checking the rings. As best man he was responsible for their safety, and Ryu had already threatened him with bodily harm if they should get lost.

The first edges of pink and silver began to show across the horizon, and then the light of dawn broke.

Jun appeared at the edge of the lawn. She had timed it perfectly. The rays of the sunrise set her eyes and skin aglow with color. Her hair floated behind her like a gossamer cloud while the creamy satin and cloth of gold that comprised her gown flowed elegantly across the grass. Her bare toes peeping out from under her dress gave her the look of an ethereal faerie made flesh for this magical moment.

She wore no veil, so Joe could see her in her full glory coming towards him. He gulped nervously, stunned by her ingenuous beauty. It was obvious that she had never been happier in her entire life, and her joy overflowed to those around her.

She was perfect.

As she came closer, Joe looked into her eyes, and saw the radiance and peace reflected there. He was amazed by the intensity of her love. A lump began to form in his throat.

Jun stepped up to the ceremonial platform, fingers outstretched. Her groom took her hand and gently led her to the Justice of the Peace.

Joe stood quietly as Jun and Ken said their vows against the backdrop of the brilliant morning sky.

His change of heart had come too late.

'Jun's happiness is all that matters. Jun's happiness is all that matters.' He repeated the mantra in his mind. In the end, all he had ever been trying to do was assure her happiness.

Mission accomplished.


End file.
